Personal blog - and temporary home page until new website is finished - of writer, editor and graphic artist Christopher Mills

Monday, July 30, 2007

Heavy Breathing & Hot Lead

Well, for those following the continuing saga of Chris and his health horrors, I'm finally on the Bi-PAP machine for my apnea.

They came and instructed me on how to use it on Friday, and so far... well, I think I'm doing okay. It does take some serious getting used to, and while I've yet to sleep a whole night straight through, I have managed some nice, long stretches with the air mask on. I also have noticed that when I do awaken, I seem somewhat less groggy, although I suspect, from the way my jaw ached yesterday morning, that I've started grinding my teeth. I may need to get a mouth guard thingy (and yes, that is the technical term).

Anyway, I'm told the first couple of weeks are the hardest, so hopefully I'll get through them okay and it will be smooth sailing thereafter.

In unrelated news, author Max Allan Collins (Road to Perdition, etc.), whom I know from my years editing at Tekno•Comics – specifically, editing Mickey Spillane's Mike Danger – kindly sent me an advance reading copy of his forthcoming novel for Hard Case Crime, Deadly Beloved.The novel is the first extended prose piece featuring Collins' long-running comic book P.I. character Ms. Tree (there have been a handful of short stories), and I'm really eager to read it. In fact, it's next on my pile, right after I finish re-reading Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan At The Earth's Core.

I've been a fan of both Collins and the character for God knows how long, and the comics series is one of my all time favorites – certainly in the top five. Ms. Tree's also been a big influence on Femme Noir (Joe Staton being one of the only artists other than co-creator Terry Beatty to draw the more famous lady dick), so I can't wait to see what Collins has her up to now.

Finally, I've actually got a new DVD Late Show column written – on schedule for the first time in months – and it should be up at Quick Stop on Tuesday. If you've been reading this blog for the last week, you've read a couple of the reviews already, but you won't want to miss my reactions to the new, long-awaited Flash Gordon – Saviour of the Universe Edition.

...Speaking of Flash, has the new SciFi Channel show started airing yet?

It does take getting used to, and adjustments have to be made. As I mentioned, the first two nights I used it steady, I apparently ground my teeth. So, I went out and got a night-time tooth guard ($25!!), and it made a big differernce.

The mask they gave me is pretty comfortable, for the most part, but does insert very slightly into my nostrils, which has made them a bit irritated. Figure that will pass soon as I get used to it.

Welcome to Atomic Pulp

Christopher Mills is a professional writer of comic books and short fiction in a variety of genres, as well as a DVD reviewer for several pop culture websites. His taste in entertainment clearly peaked when he was about 15, which certainly explains his embarrassing obsession with James Bond, hardboiled crime fiction, comic books, paperback pulps, space opera, Universal/Hammer/Toho Monsters, sword & sorcery sagas, old genre TV shows and vintage B-movies.